# Mr. Wilkins — The Enchanted April character guide > Mr. Wilkins in The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mellersh, Mellersh - Wilkins, Mr. Mellersh - Wilkins **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot Lotty's self-satisfied husband, a man of small vanities and large certainties, whose arrival at San Salvatore tests his wife's new independence. ## Who they are Mellersh Wilkins is a solicitor whose pomposity Lotty has endured for years, and whose unannounced visit to Italy threatens to reassert the domestic order she fled. He is not a villain so much as a man incapable of seeing anyone but himself, and his habit of buttonholing solitary ladies — Rose, Mrs. Fisher — with his opinions makes him both comic and quietly menacing. His presence forces Lotty, and the reader, to ask whether the transformation Italy promises can survive contact with home. ## Relationships ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _rivalry_ Mr. Wilkins and Mrs. Fisher clash over authority and opinions, with mutual irritation and a battle of wills. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ Mr. Wilkins is charmed by Scrap's beauty and lightness, and they share a flirtatious but ultimately friendly rapport. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot) _social_ They are cordial fellow guests, with Mr. Wilkins occasionally teasing or provoking her, but without real hostility. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _rivalry_ Mr. Wilkins and Mrs. Fisher clash over authority and opinions, with mutual irritation and a battle of wills. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _rivalry_ Mr. Wilkins and Mrs. Fisher clash over authority and opinions, with mutual irritation and a battle of wills. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ Mr. Wilkins is charmed by Scrap's beauty and lightness, and they share a flirtatious but ultimately friendly rapport. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ Mr. Wilkins is charmed by Scrap's beauty and lightness, and they share a flirtatious but ultimately friendly rapport. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot) _social_ They are cordial fellow guests, with Mr. Wilkins occasionally teasing or provoking her, but without real hostility. ### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot) _social_ They are cordial fellow guests, with Mr. Wilkins occasionally teasing or provoking her, but without real hostility. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as Mrs. Wilkins's husband, a respectable solicitor who encourages thrift and dominates their social life. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iv) Initially disbelieves Lotty's invitation; later offers to take her to Italy himself; cross-examines her. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xi) Mentioned as the recipient of Mrs. Wilkins's letter; she now sees him as deserving of love and a share in the beauty of San Salvatore. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiv) Arrives at San Salvatore, insists on a hot bath, ignores the warning instructions, and causes the stove to explode. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xv) Wins over Mrs. Fisher and Lady Caroline after the bath incident, enjoys the social atmosphere, and forgives Lotty's fibs. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvi) Arrives and fits in harmoniously; he is determined to please, becomes affectionate with Lotty, and plans to pay for her holiday as a surprise. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvii) Now ripened by the sun of San Salvatore, he courteously and persistently seeks out Rose for conversation, though she finds him boring. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xviii) Mr. Wilkins observes the interactions with approval, making comments like 'Very natural' and 'Trouble, trouble,' and adapts to the lighthearted tone, asserting a playful claim to be told Mrs. Fisher's secrets first. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xix) Observes Briggs's reaction to Scrap and speculates on future romantic entanglements involving Rose Arbuthnot. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxi) Mellersh welcomes Frederick heartily, calling him 'sir' and offering staunch friendship. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxii) Disapproves of Scrap's encouragement of Mr. Briggs; tries to intervene but is led away by Lotty. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters